European and Canadian leaders have rallied behind Greenland, stressing that the Arctic island belongs to its people, after the White House said President Donald Trump is discussing options to acquire the territory.

France is working with its partners on a coordinated response should the United States act on its threat to take over Greenland, a French minister said on Wednesday.

French foreign minister Jean-Noel Barrot said the issue would be discussed at a meeting with the foreign ministers of Germany and Poland later in the day.

“We want to take action, but we want to do so together with our European partners,” he told France Inter radio.

Barrot, however, suggested that a US military operation may have been ruled out by a senior American official.

“I myself was on the phone yesterday with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (...) who confirmed that this was not the approach taken ... he ruled out the possibility of an invasion (of Greenland),” Barrot said.

“The future of Greenland and Denmark are decided solely by the people of Denmark,” Carney said on Tuesday while meeting with Danish Prime Minister Mette Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen at Canada's embassy in Paris.

Earlier, Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen pushed back, saying, “That’s enough now. No more pressure. No more insinuations. No more fantasies of annexation.”

Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States.

Danish leaders on Tuesday warned that a US attack on Greenland would signal “the end of Nato” and the post-second world war security order.

Threats against Nato members such as Denmark could also embolden Russia further and increase uncertainty across Europe.

The White House said on Tuesday Trump’s options for acquiring Greenland, include the potential use of the US military, reviving an ambition to control the strategic island despite strong European objections.

Trump views acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to “deter our adversaries in the Arctic region,” the White House said in a statement.

“The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilizing the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief's disposal,” it added.

Earlier this week, Trump told reporters “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it. Let’s talk about Greenland in 20 days.”

The threats have been reinforced by political signals from Washington. Trump has appointed Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry, who supports annexation, as special envoy to Greenland.

Katie Miller, the wife of top Trump adviser Stephen Miller, recently posted an image of Greenland coloured like the US flag with the caption “SOON”.

European officials view these moves as coordinated pressure tactics against a sovereign territory.

Trump had first raised this idea in 2019 during his first presidency.

He has argued that the island is vital for the US military and that Denmark has failed to protect it.

Greenland, the world’s largest island with a population of about 57,000, is not an independent Nato member but is covered by Denmark’s membership of the alliance.

Strategically located between Europe and North America, it has long been a critical site for the US ballistic missile defence system, while its mineral wealth aligns with Washington’s goal of reducing reliance on China.